The intense blue gaze of tired eyes stared back at the annoyed disheveled haired man in the mirror. What he was about to do went against everything he felt was right. Every fiber of his being was telling him 'no'. Not so much the professional part as the over-protective boyfriend part was. His head fell forward in unhappiness as his grip on the sink tightened. "Fuck." was muttered in repetition as he pushed himself into a standing position and out of the bathroom to a still sleeping Emma.
It was 5 in the morning and he hadn't gotten much sleep. Well, he never even attempted being that he was too involved with trying to figure out a way around having to use Emma as part of his scheme to get close to his new mark. He certainly couldn't use Ruby and any other female he knew would just feel wrong. The word 'lowlife' was still echoing in his head as he readied riding clothes and her warmest coat. He kept trying to remind himself that she would be in no immediate danger. What she was coming for was strictly gathering Intel and enjoying the beauty of West Berkshire. He would forbid himself of allowing her any other part in this assignment whether she gets pissy about it or not.
Going out into the reception he took a few papers from Smee's hand and a small, plain jewelry box. "You're positive you've put the bookings into the system? I swear Smee, if I bring her all the way there and-"
"It's done, sir. Everything is put into place and your ride will be at 11:15 for two hours; Experienced. But, eh, you'll have an escort with you. I couldn't find a way around that."
"It won't matter. I'm planning to actually enjoy this day with her, whether I'm there for a hit or not." he muttered as he scanned through the pages. "I'll be needing you to stay here for the sole purpose of allowing them use of your car. Adam will be staying with Ruby. I'll be doing this one alone. You're welcomed to anything. But try and refrain from eating all their cheese, yeah?" he gave a half smile as he clapped the man on the shoulder before backing his way towards the kitchen. "Ready the car."
Giving a long, deep sigh as he sat on the edge of the bed Killian gently pulled the blankets from Emma as he attempted to ease her awake. "Swan?" It took a couple of gentle nudges and a few loving caresses, but eventually he managed.
"I see no light. I smell no coffee. Go away." Emma grumbled while blindly reaching for the blankets.
A smirk tugged on his features as he gathered the blankets once more and pulled them from her. "Swan, I need you up and dressed."
"And I need you to shut up so I can sleep." she countered.
"We need to leave. Now." he explained softly.
"Leave?" Emma rolled onto her back to rub her eyes and stretch herself out like a cat waking from the deepest of slumbers. "Leave where? It's dark out." grumbling again, she rolled over to her other side in an attempt at drifting off again.
"It seems fate is on your side once again. I ehm… I'm in need of your assistance today."
"Why can't you just use the word 'help' like every other dull person?" she yawned.
"Because I'm anything but dull. Now come on, darling we have to go. You can sleep in the car."
"Gah, if I'd had known I'd have to be up before the damn sun I wouldn't have pressed so hard." sighing Emma slowly pulled herself up with another stretch and groan.
"Headache?" he asked while rising to his feet.
"Thirsty and tired."
"I'm quite surprised." he took the clothes he had lain out for her and handed them to the slow moving and awfully grumpy blonde. "You'll be wearing this and I need you to take off your ring."
"Excuse me?" she asked as she began to undress. "Why?"
"I've another I need you to wear." he explained as he held up the small box.
"Why can't I just wear mine?" she asked while pulling on her white tank top and peach sweater.
"Because with where we're going and what we're doing it gives away the fact that I'm Irish. I can't have that. So you'll be wearing this. I'll give it to you in the car, but I need you to put that one somewhere safe."
"What's so special about that ring compared to mine? Ya know... there's so many guidelines to this. I'm really beginning to rethink asking you to bring me along." she challenged with a glare.
A smile spread across his face as he tossed the box up in the air catching it in his palm as it fell. "Good. Because this will be the only time you do so." he made his way to the bedroom door and before exiting, "I'll be waiting outside. Smee brought coffee for you."
"Smee's back?" she asked with a small huff as Killian left. "It's so hard to keep everything straight here." Glancing down to the petite gold band on her finger, Emma ran her thumb along the hands and heart before pulling it off and placing it on the bedside table. She was still very confused as to why she had to wear a different ring, but he's the boss. Her brows furrowed at the exact thought as she pulled on her black leggings and knee-high riding boots. "Oh, no way. He's got another thing coming if he's thinking of barking orders at me. Nope."
Screw. That.
"So where we headed-" Emma began to ask around the spout of her hot caramel macchiato coffee. "-that was in need of waking me up at 5:30 in the damn morning to drive to?" she added just before taking a careful sip.
"West Berkshire."
She gave a side glance in his direction before slowly looking to her coffee cup in her hand. "You know that means nothing to me, right? Is that like… left of London or something? Is that even still in England?"
He released a soft chuckle while glancing to her in the passenger seat and shifted his body towards the center console. "Yes it's still in England. Yes it's west of London. More specifically, we're on our way to Maidenhead. It actually sits on the west bank of the River Thames. I'm sure you've heard of that, aye?"
"If it wasn't so early then yes perhaps I would know. So please…" her head fell in his direction while giving a sarcastic smile. "Enlighten me." she bit as she took yet another sip of her delectable coffee.
"I forgot how incredibly rude you could be in the mornings." he teased poking his tongue into his cheek.
"Hey, buddy! I didn't ask to get woken up for some road trip to Maidenshire, alright?"
Running his tongue along his lip he couldn't fight the smile that crept up onto his features. But, he certainly tried the best he could to keep from laughing. "Technically, Swan… you did. And where in the hell is this Maidenshire?" he asked raising his brow and glancing over in her direction again.
Rolling her eyes she waved a hand in the air as if to summon up a map and scoffed. "That place in West Brooklyn or whatever."
Alright, this time he couldn't hold back his laughter. This woman was amazing even if she was a total bitch in the wee hours of the morning. But he loved her all the same. "That's definitely not correct."
"Whatever. I was close."
"Not by a mile. You're not even in the same country anymore."
"Shut up and drive."
Flashing a smile and reaching to place a hand on her thigh to give it a light squeeze, he nodded as he spoke, "As you wish."
His fingers were busying themselves with tracing nonsensical lines and patterns up and down her thigh as she watched the unfamiliar surroundings from the window. An hour had passed since their last full conversation. Small talk was shared but nothing of real significance. Emma turned her head towards him and shifted her position to place her left leg under her right. Which of course opened up her inner thigh to more feather light touches.
"So what about this other ring you were telling me about? I still don't understand why I couldn't wear the one you gave me."
He removed his hand from her thigh to reach into his jacket pocket to bring out the small jewelry box. "With the type of Claddagh ring I gifted you with… it'll give me away immediately. It's... special." Killian placed the box upon her knee and stayed staring at her through a side glance as she moved to take it and open it.
Just as the lid opened, her jaw did the same. "Oh my gods. Killian, this is absolutely gorgeous! I mean I-" She sat there in awe at the beautiful diamond rings resting in the box. The twisted ribbon of the white gold band was adorned with diamonds in a half eternity and the halo setting seated a perfectly cut 1 karat round diamond in the center. The second was a thin wedding band of the same white gold, also a half eternity of diamonds. The rings were beyond breathtaking. The diamonds were so clear and sparkly and ridiculous and expensive and she wasn't wearing them. "Killian, I- no."
"Calm down, Swan. I'm not proposing. I just need you to wear them."
"Why? For what?"
"We are going to be playing the part of newlyweds." he explained as enthusiastic as he could.
"Newlyweds?" she asked in complete confusion. "Why?"
"For one... " He began while scratching his recently trimmed beard, "The mark I'm to find preys on singles so I'd prefer it if there's a proper symbol of belonging on your finger. Second, we get a bit of a warmer reception if we're on honeymoon."
"If we're supposed to be newlyweds then where's yours?" she asked while pointing to his left hand.
"It's under the pillow."
Lifting the cushion from the box sure as shit there it was. A thin platinum band. "I still don't understand why we can't just be ourselves?"
"You never hint towards your actual identity. Ever. That's more information they can trace you by if for some reason you get found out. You falsify your name, age, location. Everything." he explained with a roll of his hand. "On the off chance… can you pull off a British accent?"
Emma released a puff of air as she pulled the ring from its holder. "Can I pull off-? Of course I can! Listen to this." she cleared her throat and straightened in her seat as she prepared for her accent debut. "Pip pip cheerio! Fish and chips! Indubitably!" she smiled proudly at her horrendous attempt as she looked to Killian who was trying his best not to laugh.
There was a long pause and an ear rub before, "Swan?"
"Jones?"
"What in the bloody hell was that?" he asked through his smile. "That was terrible and I'm more than certain that not one person says 'pip pip cheerio'."
"I tried, okay?" she defended whilst slipping on the perfectly sized engagement ring. She was left speechless as the diamonds shimmered and sparkled on that finger.
Killian also was left frozen for a brief moment before looking back to the road. He knew of the future he wanted with her, but was uncertain of how she felt. It wasn't nearly the time nor appropriate for that sort of conversation at the moment. "I'm glad you like it."
"What?" she asked blinking back to the present. "Oh, uh no. It's… it's not me. I mean it's pretty, but-" Though for some damn reason she couldn't stop staring at the ridiculous thing.
A hint of a smirk tugged on his lips at the obvious ruse, "Oh no, of course not. How foolish of me." He muttered while an amused brow rose toward his hairline.
More time had passed with more small talk shared. Eventually Killian pulled the car into a spot at some fancy French British eatery over the river for breakfast. He was thankful that the last minute reservations that Smee had arranged for them came through. Emma was overly impressed by the scenery, but was also very reticent towards him. He allowed her the space she needed only knowing what must be running through her head now that she was actually in Maidenhead. He felt at fault for causing her this headache, which only made his demeanor shift into an anxious state. Emma seemed to be the only one capable of doing such a task.
Back in the car and on the road the air was dense with unspoken worries. Too thick for the sake of what he needed to be doing. They had to clear the air.
"Swan. Jones."
"Oh, sorry." Emma muttered as she fiddled with her newly acquired piece of jewelry.
"Don't apologize, love. By all means go ahead."
Clearing her throat, Emma shifted in her seat and presented the ringed hand. "What exactly am I here to do?"
"Nothing." he stated simply. "You're here to enjoy the afternoon with your devilishly handsome suitor." he flashed a smile and cocked his head to the side as he raised that stupid eyebrow.
"By doing-?" she drawled.
"Well it was supposed to be a surprise, but I'm actually in need of knowing your experience level."
"Okay, this isn't exactly helping my nerves any."
"Can you ride?" he asked while turning the car down an old dirt road. "You know aside from me." he teased.
She happened a laugh from his idiotic statement and shrugged almost shyly. "Ride what? Horses?" her eyes widened in realization and immediately grabbed onto his right arm in excitement. "We're horseback riding?!"
A satisfied grin was plastered onto his features as he gave one, single nod. "Aye."
"Now just let me do the talking. Follow my lead." he explained as he pushed on the wedding band while kissing the top of her head. "You'll be fine. I promise. It'll be fun!" he gave a reassuring smile as he held out his hand for her to take.
Emma was actually borderline scared. More nervous than scared, but dammit it was close. It wasn't the horses or the unfamiliar surroundings that were causing the stress. There was a feeling- a very familiar feeling- of dread encompassing her. She's been free of this feeling since New York and she was glad. But, now it's back and she was unsure why….
"Swan?" his forehead creased in doubt by her apprehension. "I can take you to the Inn? If you're having second thoughts? It's perfectly alright. I can do this on my own."
Breathing in a collective breath and flashing a quick smile she nodded while muttering, "No, I'm good." A simple response while her fingers brushed against his before lacing into them altogether. She took in the beautiful grounds of the Tally Ho Stables as they walked the dirt path and felt the immediate regret of not bringing a camera. "You know, for a barn its pretty spectacular here."
"Ehm…" A soft smile appeared as his eyes darted to the right in her direction while allowing his head to bob to the left. "For future reference they're called stables. You will get many a dirty look here if you continue to call this place a barn."
Giving a soft scoff and a roll of her eyes, she flipped her hair over her shoulder with a smirk. "Sorry, I forgot. I have to be fancy in England."
"Not fancy. Just poised."
"Are you saying I'm not poised?" she asked in mock offense.
He laughed softly while giving an inconspicuous shrug of his shoulders. "Those words never left me mouth."
"But… you thought them?"
A slowly formed smirk and an ear rub later, "Perhaps."
That actually earned a giggle and a full arm embrace as she laid her head on his shoulder. "You're an idiot."
They arrived at the stables with a few minutes to spare before their given riding time. Killian took care of the specifics while Emma stayed relatively quiet. Only speaking when she needed to give her name (Leia Walker) and giggle at the little quips and jokes her 'husband' gave. Once the worker disappeared her eyes fell onto 'Charles' and sighed softly while burying her nose into his shoulder. "I don't know whether to be impressed or aggravated over your flawless American accent." she mumbled against the wool of his coat.
Killian's arm wrapped around her waist pulling her closer to bury his nose into her hair. "Thank you." he stated with a smile.
"She seems nice. I don't see why you need to pursue her." she whispered.
"That's because I'm not." he muttered back. "She's not the one I'm here for."
"Then who is?" Before they could proceed on in their conversation the horses were ready. After learning that Emma was a novice rider, thanks to her parents pushing riding lessons at an earlier age he was a bit more relaxed with the day's adventures. They were presented with two Irish Draughts usually used for competitions. A gelding and a mare. "They're gorgeous! Babe, aren't they beautiful?" she smiled lovingly at the mare while rubbing her down to build a bond for a smoother ride.
They were passed helmets as their chosen escort began explaining the personalities of their majestic animals. "This here is Dashing Rapscallion." The gelding was a beautiful bloody bay having a bright red chestnut body with black legs and matching mane and tail. "He's a bit of a handful at times. Quite rambunctious and mischievous, though extremely intelligent. Ya need a firm hold on this one." The escort, Amy began to explain. "He's awfully fond of the mares." she teased. "But landed this beaut for his own! Crown Princess." she turned her attention to the light chestnut mare with a dark nose and matching hair. "She keeps him in check this one. Won't let him stray too far off. If he gets a bit out of hand she gives him a bit of nip. Ya know how men are." Amy gave Emma a wink, who then bumped her hip into Killian with a smile. "She's well mannered but can be extremely stubborn and snooty in her own way. Her boy here keeps her grounded which makes her very easy to ride as long as they are together. The perfect couple for our newlyweds." she smiled fondly at the two of them before handing the stirrups off to the rightful owners. "If you'd like to proceed to mount, I'll only be a moment. I have to gather my horse, her father actually. Prince Charming."
Killian raised a brow after the escort had gone and slowly turned to Emma, "Crown Princess and Dashing Rapscallion…?" he smiled broadly as he took a slight bow, "How fitting."
"How so?" she asked while taking the pommel and cantle of the saddle on the mare in hand smiling at the sudden feel of his hands on her waist as she placed her foot into the stirrup. He helped by lifting her up enough to throw her leg over the saddle before doing his own quick check over the girth. "Because I bite when you piss me off?"
He released a laugh at her words as he proceeded to earn the trust of the gelding. "Among other things, yes." He heaved himself up easily onto his own horse and situated his posture accordingly. He pulled the reigns to the right giving a small kick to move his horse around his mate with another proud smile. "How is my lovely wife fairing?" he asked arching a brow and easing the horse close enough to stretch his body over for a kiss.
Her heart fluttered and her stomach lurched at the word 'wife' while she met him halfway for the kiss. It wasn't a word she ever thought would be used to describe her. She guessed in all reality it still wasn't since they were just playing the part. It was indescribable the feelings she felt for this man. A vast amount of emotions that is. Marriage was far off in her mind and honestly she wasn't sure if she wanted it. She'd thought about the family aspect of her future, but it was never for very long. She could barely take care of herself let alone a husband. Gods forbid if she had a child. What the hell would she do with one of those? Her mind began to wander causing her horse to grow wary of her uncertainty.
Killian was all too receptive of her deafening silence and felt the immediate guilt settle in. "Love, you have to relax before you get thrown." His hand found hers to bring the knuckles to his lips. "It's alright. It's just a hack between you and I… and Amy. " He gave her ringed hand another kiss as the escort came cantering out on Prince Charming. "Oh, I almost forgot." he was using his American accent once more as he dug into his pocket. Killian pulled out a sleek, black Nikon Coolpix S9900 for her use of their adventure today. "Figured you'd want to take pictures of the forest and things?"
Taking the camera in hand she muttered words of 'thanks' and kicked her horse into a slow trot to follow Killian down the trails to Windsor Great Park.
They spent their two hours trekking through the 800 year old forest with over 5000 acres to explore. They rode up Snow Hill to the Copper Horse statue to overlook the top of the Windsor Castle and before their time was up they cantered through Deer Park. Killian wished they could have spent more time exploring, but he made a mental note to come back again for a proper date.
Emma took many pictures of their date if you'd call it that. She supposed in a way it was considering the circumstances. Everything was beautiful and the ride was beyond exciting. They talked and laughed and stole kisses when they could. She almost forgot the whole reason they were there in the first place…. Almost.
They were back at the stables and off their horses, but Killian was pushing for a look inside. They were granted access to the plethura of horses and their backstories though he wouldn't let her hand go. Their fingers were tightly intertwined as they roamed the dirt walkways while he scanned the surroundings for who he came for. Everything seemed normal aside from an overly stressed horse being tormented by a blonde male by one stall at the end. Killian immediately pulled her into him to whisper, "I need you to go with Amy to the other side of the stables. Away from here. Keep her busy."
"But-"
"Just do what I ask. Please?" he placed a kiss against the apple of her cheek before giving her hand a reassuring squeeze and making his way to the blonde with attitude. Felix as his name was was having major difficulty with the horse. He began cursing and unnecessarily whipping the poor creature before he hurried his pace to stop it. "Hey, man! Enough! It hasn't done shit to you!"
"What's it to ya? Oh, don't tell me… one of those PETA fuckers right?" he scoffed before whipping the horse again and causing it to whinny in pain while he laughed. "The damn thing never listens so this is what it gets!" he grimaced while raising the whip to strike again, but Killian grabbed ahold of his wrist to stop him.
"I said enough." he repeated in a low growl.
"Piss off! You've had your ride! Get goin'!" Felix pulled his hand free, but only to whip the horse again.
Oh this fucker was going to get what's coming to him and he's going to enjoy every second of it. "There's a funny thing about horses…" he started while stepping closer. "They only listen to who they trust. They're an excellent judge of character." Killian ripped the whip from his hand and threw it down the walkway. "Whipping it won't change its mind about how shitty of a person is standing before it."
"Fuck off, mate!"
"And you wonder why the damn horse hates you?" he muttered while turning his attention to Bandit Snow. A beautiful white horse with black around the eyes like a mask. "Woah girl!" he outstretched his arms when she raised up to try and scare him back. "Easy…" he jumped backward when she lowered down and outstretched a gentle and relaxed hand. "It's ok. I won't hurt you."
"She's not gonna respond to ya. She's a barmy. Fucking useless." Felix spat.
"She's very smart." he muttered in correction while trying to keep his calm. "Very trusting. She knows who she can believe in. Just give a little hope." Bandit Snow had touched her nose to Killian's hand allowing him to run it slowly up her head and down her neck. "There you go. See? You just need someone who understands you. Who gives you the same trust and reassurance." he took the lead rope and slowly led her into her stall and situated her inside. "You don't need to abuse something to have it listen." he muttered as he walked passed Felix.
Felix then grabbed at his arm which stopped Killian dead in his tracks and tugged a smirk onto his lips. "It's about control and power. Establishing who's who. You should know all about that. I saw how you handled your piece." he chuckled darkly while baring his teeth. "Overly tight grip on her hand. Leading her around. Sending her away. Not giving her a choice. I envy you. I really do."
The muscles in his jaw began to tense and flex as he tried his damndest to keep his fist from meeting his face. "My wife has her own free will and I respect it. Not control it." Pulling his arm free he gave a threatening glare before starting off.
"A woman with free will? Shame that! Someone should really fix it." he yelled after him with a menacing laugh causing Killian's shoulders to tense and his feet to stop abruptly. No one threatens to hurt Emma. Especially knowing what this bastard was capable of. He was a kidnapper. An abuser. A murderer. A rapist. It was a wonder how he got this job in the first place, but he was sure as shit he only had it for the control and abuse over something.
"Hey!"
Killian immediately turned around to the sight of Emma punching the guy in the face, and threw his hands in the air just as Felix stumbled backward. "Bloody hell, Leia! Really?"
"This guy's an asshole!" she yelled while shaking out her hand to overthrow the pain. "He deserved it!"
"Leia, sweetheart." he gently took her shoulders in his hands to turn Emma so she was facing him. "You need to go. Now."
"No! This jerk wants to say shit about me? Then he can say it to my face!"
"This isn't the time for this." he pleaded with a small smile.
"Get your bitch out of here!" Felix yelled holding his bloodied nose. "Before I-"
Killian was in his face within seconds at his threatening words. "Before you what, mate?" he asked while dropping the charade completely. His British-Irish accent was back and he couldn't care less. "I'd like to see you try something. Really, I would. It'll make me job simpler."
"Leave now." he growled. "Before I kick you out myself."
"Put your hands on me again and it'll be the last thing you do." Killian threatened.
Emma slid between them while gently pressing on Killian's chest to back him away. "Okay, we're going. Come on, Charles."
He let out a deep and heated sigh, but nodded as he flexed the muscles in his jaw. "After you."
"Stupid trollop."
Killian's head fell back as he let out a humorless laugh. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?" In one swift motion his body spun around and his fist met his face causing Felix to tense up and fall straight back from the force. "Fucking pox bottle." One thing was for sure. He was more eager than ever to kill this fucker. But at the moment he needed to tend to his and Emma's hands.
Soon.
Hello! Comments are welcomed! Concerns can be worked through!
This is another two parter... I seem to be overflowing with information at the moment! My Muse is being amazing! Stay tuned! ;)
